A number of devices have been employed on naval ships for protection from, among other threats, anti-ship missiles. These anti-ship missiles exhibit a wide variety of missile technologies including infrared-seeking and/or radar-guided missiles. Various countermeasure systems, have been employed in naval ships to protect against these anti-ship missiles, for example, by providing false signals to “confuse” guidance and/or fire control systems of the anti-ship missiles.
Conventional countermeasure systems (e.g., the MK 36 launcher system) are generally mounted on the ship's main deck. These launchers typically include any appropriate number (e.g., six) of launch tubes (e.g., 130 mm diameter) that are fixed in orientation (e.g., some at 45 degrees and some at 60 degrees) relative to the ship's main deck. Further, each countermeasure cartridge is generally designed to protrude out from or extend beyond the corresponding launch tube with which it is associated. The design, orientation, and location of these conventional launchers at least generally increases both the radar cross-section (e.g., visibility) and the visual outline of the ship. As another example of conventional countermeasure systems, what are referred to in the art as “trainable” launchers are also generally mounted on the ship's main deck, often protruding above the deck even further than the fixed angle MK 36. Accordingly, these trainable launchers present an even less stealthy profile than the MK 36 and additionally take up a significant portion of deck space. In the cases of both the MK 36 and trainable launchers, multiple launchers are positioned at a plurality of locations on the main deck of the ship. For example, two launchers may be positioned near the fore end of the ship, and two launchers may be positioned near the aft end of the ship.
In light of conventional ship-detecting systems, future surface combat ships (e.g., DD(X), CG(X), and LCS (Littoral Combat Ship)) are being designed as “stealthy smart” ships. That is, these combat ships are preferably being configured to avoid (or at least reduce a tendency for) detection of the same. Indeed, these combat ships are being designed to preferably exhibit minimum signatures across the electromagnetic spectrum (e.g., including RF (radar), visual, and IR (infrared) wavelengths). In order to achieve such a stealthy profile, the ships will ideally be low in the water, have sloped sides, and/or have no unnecessary protrusions above the main deck. Accordingly, employment of the above-described conventional countermeasure systems on the decks these combat ships will most likely take up significant amounts of space on the main deck, as well as at least generally reduce the preferred stealthy profiles of such ships.